Find music and poetry at DADGAD coffeehouse

ORONO – Here it is the dead of winter again, and you’re looking for something to do on a cold Saturday night. How about a great night of folk, blues, rock ‘n’ roll, singers and songwriters, poets, good coffee, pies, cakes and cookies, all for $3.

Bring your partner to the DADGAD coffeehouse on Saturday, and the kids under 12 are free. And did we say you can also perform yourself? That’s what open miking is all about.

There’s an open acoustic instrument jam at 6 p.m., followed by the open mike signup at 7 p.m. and performances of two songs for each performer starting at 7:30 p.m.

The DADGAD coffeehouse – www.dadgadcoffeehouse.com – was started six years ago at the Keith Anderson Community Center in Orono, and since then it has been held there faithfully every fourth Saturday of the month.

The coffeehouse gets its name “DADGAD” from a Celtic guitar tuning, the six strings tuned to D, A, D, G, A and D rather than the more traditional EADGBE that guitarists typically use. But this doesn’t mean you have to play in DADGAD tuning – only if the Celtic spirit moves you.

We have had musicians invoking the spirit of Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, John Lennon, Carole King, Eric Clapton, Cindy Lauper, Michael Hedges, The Doors, O’Carolan, George Jones, The Bare Naked Ladies, Blondie and countless others.

We also have had some great singer-songwriters and instrumentalists. The night might be a quiet introspective evening or a raucous rock ‘n’ roll rowdy rant, sometimes both. You never quite know until you get there.

Above all, there’s a real sense of community. As a first-timer, you might be surprised by the friendliness of the crowd, the open kitchen and the heartfelt audience support for each and every performer.

You might also be surprised by how seriously performers take their music and poetry. You get a real sense of the time and effort performers take to prepare, and of the pride they have in their art.

When you first arrive you’re greeted by an eclectic jam circle, and we all encourage you to jump in with any acoustic instrument.

We always have a number of guitarists, but we also encourage fiddlers, flutists, percussionists, mandolin and harmonica players, stand-up washtub bassists – and there’s even a piano all tuned up and ready to play!

One moment you’ll be playing “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” and the next you’ll find yourself in the middle of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.”

The open mike part of the evening uses a professional sound system with caring sound people. Getting in front of a mike can be scary the first time you do it, but we work with every performer to get it right, regardless of how much stage experience you have.

If you don’t quite have the nerve to get up there right away, just enjoy the music and watch how everyone else does it. That way, when you’re ready to “jump in,” you’ll have a better idea of what to expect.

This month we’ll be celebrating the holiday season with a potluck supper during the open jam time on Dec. 23. So bring a dish to share and we’ll supply the dessert and coffee, as always. Call us at 990-1571 if you’re not sure what to bring.

Come on down, bring your instruments and appetite, and spend a great winter evening at the Dadgad. We’ll be there waiting for you, as always!

Contributed by Larry, Leslie, Jan, Jerry and Steve, your friendly Dadgad steering committee.